For decades, Cartoon Network’s Toonami has helped introduce countless Western anime fans to series that they might have otherwise never experienced. While the programming block did take some years off in the past, Adult Swim has helped the platform find new footing as anime’s popularity grows. This summer, Toonami is bringing a major shonen series to its roster while also re-running some classic hits that helped the block maintain its longevity. Luckily, the Soul Society’s latest adventure is the one that is making its way to Adult Swim next month, which is sure to be good news for Shonen fans.
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Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War might already have three cours under its belt, with the fourth and final batch of episodes set to land in the future, but next month will be the first time that this season focusing on Ichigo will hit Toonami. Of course, real Toonami heads know that the original Bleach series aired on the Cartoon Network block in 2012, airing for years in a stacked line-up with its fellow Shonen brethren. The Blood War will begin airing on Cartoon Network on May 17th, and since there are plenty of anime episodes that have already been created by Studio Pierrot, it will have quite the run on Toonami.
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Bleach: The Blood War Rages On
As mentioned earlier, Studio Pierrot is currently working on the fourth and final entry of the Thousand-Year Blood War, looking to adapt the entirety of Tite Kubo’s original epic conclusion of Bleach. While the production house confirmed that it was working on Ichigo and Soul Society’s big finale, they have yet to let fans know when we can expect the battle against the Wandenreich to end. Considering the stakes that were raised as a part of the Blood War’s previous episodes, shonen fans are on the edge of their seats for what is to come.
Pierrot took a wild new approach to both Bleach and its other anime projects in recent years, deciding to take a more seasonal approach to its franchises versus cranking out new episodes weekly. Earlier this month, the studio confirmed that it was currently working on the second half of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations and considering Ichigo’s manga story is almost completely told, don’t expect Pierrot to return to Bleach following the Blood War’s grand finale.
Bleach’s Mysterious Future
While nothing has been confirmed regarding the Soul Society’s future in manga, creator Tite Kubo did release a special one-shot in recent years hinting at a potential return of the series. Bleach: No Breaths From Hell is a chapter that takes place years following the Blood War’s conclusion, highlighting most of the characters now as adults with families of their own. Thanks to the fight against Yhwach, Bleach has come back into the anime forefront and it will be interesting if this means the manga will return with new stories to capitalize on the hot streak.
Want to see what happens to the Soul Society down the line? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook.com for the latest updates on Bleach and hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime.
